Sacramento Mass Shooting Suspect Reportedly Released Early From 10-Year Prison Sentence
The second person arrested for the mass shooting Sunday (April 3) in Sacramento had a lengthy criminal record but won an early release from prison despite the prosecutor’s plea to keep him behind bars.
Smiley Allen Martin, 27, has a criminal record dating back to 2013, The Sacramento Bee reports. In 2021, he was serving a 10-year sentence for domestic violence and assault with great bodily injury when a parole board was considering whether to grant him an early release.
The Bee’s public records investigation revealed that Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert’s office submitted a letter to the board last year urging it not to release Martin.
RELATED: Investigators Trying To Piece Together Details Of The Sacramento Mass Shooting That Killed Six
Sacramento police officers arrested Martin Tuesday (April 5) and charged him with possession of a machine gun and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. One day earlier, cops arrested Martin’s younger brother, Dandrae Martin, 26, on charges of assault and illegal firearm possession.
The brothers are allegedly two of multiple suspects involved in the shooting that killed six people and injured a dozen others. Investigators believe a gunfight erupted over a dispute between several shooters in downtown Sacramento, but authorities have not disclosed details of either man’s involvement in the events.
The Bee obtained a copy of the DA’s two-page letter to the Board of Parole Hearings on April 29, 2021. “Inmate Martin’s criminal conduct is violent and lengthy,” Deputy District Attorney Danielle Abildgaard stated in the letter, which detailed offenses including robbery, possession of a firearm, and giving false information to police.
His criminal record began in January 2013, six months after his 18th birthday, the letter said. A judge sentenced him to probation for a number of weapons charges. Ten months later, Martin and three other men committed an armed robbery of a Walmart store. During the investigation, the police discovered that he previously committed several other armed robberies of Walmart and Target stores where he was accused of taking electronic devices.
On Jan. 12, 2018, a Sacramento Superior Court judge sentenced Martin to 10 years. The prosecutor said Martin forced his way into his girlfriend’s home, where she was hiding in her bedroom closet. He punched her several times in the face, head, and body before dragging her by the hair into an awaiting car.
After Martin’s recent arrest, California corrections spokeswoman Dana Simas stated that the parole board denied Martin parole in May 2021 but eventually released him less than a year later.
“Prior to reaching a CDCR facility, Martin had already received 508 days of pre-sentencing credits, and received a variety of additional post-sentencing credits,” she told the Bee. “He was released to Sacramento County probation in February 2022.”
